From the moment I spoke with Steve Pender on the phone about the prospect of doing my 88-year-old father’s legacy video, I was convinced that he and his team were the right people for the job. Steve is easy to work with and he was very good about checking in with me as the project progressed through its various stages. He was open to suggestions and even allowed me to include my own “self-produced” intro to the video along with music of my choosing. The results were – as you might expect – just outstanding! It felt like I was watching an A&E biography, the subject of which was my own father! If you’re thinking about doing something like this for your loved one, I strongly recommend Family Legacy Video®. You’ll get a professional and expertly edited and produced video that you’ll cherish forever.

Steve, what an incredible video! Thank you for helping me tell my heritage story, about me, my parents, my relatives, my cousins. Now all my grandkids and anyone associated with me will know this story. You and your team did amazing work – there’s no way I could have done this without you.

What a fascinating journey it’s been to capture and record the history of Emil and Kaia Blom, their children and their children! It’s taken us from Norway to the U.S. by sailing ship and then by ox and wagon through southern Minnesota to a homestead farm in southern Minnesota that became Elmhurst Farm. The journey involved photos, letters, interviews and much more. Thanks to your skills all of this was condensed to a website on a thumb drive that can be passed on to three more downstream generations (and counting). I only wish my mother could have enjoyed this journey with her children and grandchildren. We sometimes wait too long to create a family history.

On a more personal note, we enjoyed working with you on this family history. You kept us moving forward. Without you pushing us a bit, it would have been easy to make an effort like this an ongoing “work in progress.” You revisited our suggestions, accepted some and questioned others. Result: A history that had a good balance of pictures, written materials, and spoken histories, including descendants born and raised on Elmhurst Farm.

Dear Steve,

In what ways am I pleased with the family history website you produced for us? Let me count the ways:

Your responsiveness – when I sent you an item, you promptly acknowledged receiving it. When I asked a question, you promptly answered. You were amenable to suggestions / corrections.

Your carefulness – when family members gave you pictures or memorabilia, you carefully kept and returned them intact. You would double check the correctness of labels and spellings.

Your efficiency – somehow you managed to keep straight and collate a whole pile of photos and remembrances sent by multiple family members. You managed the duplications and the overlaps to produce a coherent story.

Your engagement – I had the feeling that you were truly interested in our family and its history, and wanted to capture it for future generations.

Your thoroughness – I could see that you had done some independent research to fill in some of the historical context, e.g. finding a photo of a sod house, inserting explanations of terms. You engaged professional videographers to produce polished-looking interviews.

Your formatting – you assembled the host of photos and remembrances in an accessible way, so that with a “click” we could explore various parts of the family history—a specific person, a place, an event. You combined video interviews with printed information (photos and written memories) into a seamless narrative.

Your professional product – I was blown away by the classy box and flash drive that contained the finished story.

I hope other families will avail themselves of your skill and services!